Skin is the first line of defense against environmental insults that would otherwise damage sensitive underlying tissue and organs. For example, skin maintains a relatively water-impermeable barrier between an organism and its environment to prevent dehydration. Additionally, skin plays a key role in a person's physical appearance. Generally, most people desire to have younger, healthy looking skin. And to some of these people, the tell-tale signs of skin aging such as thinning skin, wrinkles, and age spots are an undesirable reminder of the disappearance of youth. As a result, treating the signs of aging in skin has become a booming business in youth-conscious societies. Treatments range from cosmetic creams and moisturizers to various forms of cosmetic surgery.
Numerous agents, both natural and synthetic, are known for use in skin care compositions marketed to treat various skin conditions, especially those associated with aging. One example of a well-known skin care agent is ribose. Ribose is a pentose monosaccharide used in the cosmetics industry to provide a variety of skin health benefits. US 2007/0231288 discloses the use of D-ribose in a cosmetic composition to improve the metabolism of skin cells, and thereby improve the function and appearance of the skin. U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,519 describes the use of sugars such as ribose in cosmetic composition as surfactants and moisturizing agents. U.S. Pat. No. 8,911,774 discloses a topical composition for anti-aging skin treatment, which includes D-ribose as “an essential material for the DNA repairing process.”
However, sugars such as ribose can also damage skin thru glycation. Glycation is generally recognized as a non-enzymatic process involving a monosaccharide (e.g., glucose or ribose) that reacts with an amino group of an amino acid via a series of reactions characterized by the formation of advance glycation end products (“AGEs”). AGEs can lead to crosslinking of the proteins in skin, especially collagen and elastin, which can manifest as reduced skin elasticity, fine lines and wrinkles, and sallow looking skin. Glycation is also known to increase regularly with age and exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a cosmetic skin care composition that includes ribose but does not contribute to glycation in skin.